


Oh Captain, Let’s Make a Deal

by nerdsquad7076



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: :D, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Boats and Ships, Clay | Dream is not a bad person and we love it (Video Blogging RPF), Demi-God Phil Watson, Demi-God Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Found Family, Gen, Good Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Grayson | Purpled (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Hybrid TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Wilbur Soot, I have never written a canonically accurate Wilbur Soot, It has actual plot i swear, Its a pirate/sailing au pretty much, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pirates, Ranboo is a Good Friend, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Sleepy Bois Inc-centric, Toby Smith | Tubbo-centric, TommyInnit is a good friend, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), WE LOVE DADZA, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur has gold eyes, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Winged Toby Smith | Tubbo, Wings, a little self obsessed but what can you do, and i never will, and now he will forever have gold eyes in every noncanon thing i write, and tubbo too, bc hybrids and family issues, bear with me, but its not the hybrids you’d expect, but theres a little bit of ansgt, ex. Ranboo is a fish person, i did get this beta read so there, i love my boys sm, i wrote one singular thing with gold eye Wilbur, i wrote this after the march 1st stream to save myself, its mostly adventure + found family fluff, its mostly tubbo but tommy gets some POV chapters for angst purposes, its strange, miners gang, okay so most people in the story are hybrids, the lore is semi complicated but it will be explained i swear, there is very little canon at all in this story, tubbo is a good friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29829483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdsquad7076/pseuds/nerdsquad7076
Summary: Tubbo and Tommy live in a bustling port city, where everyday it becomes harder and harder to both survive and keep Tubbo’s wings a secret. And then they meet a man with his wings out on full display who invites them onto his ship for the night. It turns out to be a famous pirate ship with a half-siren captain and a demigod first mate. Now that the boys have accidentally joined a pirate crew, they have to survive storms, sea monsters, other pirates, and worst of all, friendship.Or:In which Tommy and Tubbo accidentally join a pirate crew and hijinks ensue.
Relationships: Grayson | Purpled & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 42
Kudos: 242





	1. setting sail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo, Nerd here :D  
> I wrote this because I could, and I’m posting it because I can.  
> There’s a lot of lore in this AU that isn’t discussed in the first chapter, but don’t worry because it will be revealed as it goes along.
> 
> Thanks to Vereen for beta reading this chapter! (Their link will be in the bottom notes, go check them out, they’re great.)
> 
> Also the title is inspired by a song titled ‘Ship in a Bottle’ which is where a lot of inspiration for this fic came from
> 
> And without further ado...

Tubbo had always liked storms, so when one woke him up in the middle of the night, he didn’t mind too much.

Maybe it was the strong wind that ruffled his hair in just the right way.

Or how the rain drove against his skin, setting him all on edge.

Or the deep green of the sea and the dark gray of the sky after a storm.

Or maybe it was that storms happened to everyone, regardless of who they were, or who their parents were, or if they were human or... not quite so.

Nevertheless, Tubbo liked storms.

He blinked sleep away from his eyes and sat up, pushing the covers off his shoulders. Heavy sea wind blew in from the half-open window, blowing the last of the embers in the small fireplace all about the room. They glowed with a soft, weak light, quickly dissipating in the humid breeze.

Tubbo could sense a storm coming. It hadn’t hit quite yet, but it was coming. 

He could feel it in his bones. 

In the way his skin prickled with anticipation, and in the way his heart beat fast in his chest.

The heavy moisture in the air, the way the wind seemed to intentionally blow his window open, the way the great gray sea was dancing just a few buildings away from where he sat. 

To him, it all meant a storm.

Several ships bobbed up and down in the rough waves, like leaves on the surface of a puddle. Some were triumphantly riding the storm-tossed ocean, while others seemed to be struggling to stay afloat in the sea. Tubbo felt a pang of pity for whoever’s boats those were, for surely they could not weather the storm that was coming. 

His gaze was drawn back into the room by a quiet breathing. Tommy was curled up in a chair by the fire, blonde hair being gently stirred by the strong sea wind.

Tommy had insisted that Tubbo take the bed; it _was_ better for his back. Now that he thought about it, Tubbo remembered that Tommy often insisted that Tubbo take the best of things.

It wasn’t that Tubbo needed more than Tommy, oh no. They were both 16 and growing fast. They inhaled whatever food they got, and slept soundly (wherever they might have slept) each night, when they could afford to.

Maybe it was because Tommy _believed_ that Tubbo needed more than he did, for whatever reason that was. He always tended to portion more food to Tubbo, and even if he thought Tubbo couldn’t tell, there was no hiding from his sharp eyes. Tommy almost always _forced_ Tubbo to sleep in the bed (whenever they had a bed to sleep in), instead opting to sleep in a chair or even on the floor.

Growing, and subsequently hiding, an extra pair of limbs required extra energy, after all.

~~He was lucky Tommy cared.~~

Tubbo’s gaze traveled around the rest of the room, taking it all in. He had little time to examine the room when they bought it last night, because the innkeeper had insisted that they come down to dinner. They had paid for it, and the innkeeper wouldn’t take ‘wait’ for an answer.

He almost chuckled as he remembered the innkeeper’s reaction that evening. 

_Tommy and Tubbo, two scruffy, half-homeless, teenage boys, walk into the inn with a small purse of pure gold coins._

_Tommy, always the one to put himself out front,_ **_gently_ ** _slammed the purse on the counter and asked for a room for the night._

_The innkeeper took the purse, examined the coins, then looked at Tommy and Tubbo again._

_He shrugged, taking a few of the coins as payment and giving the purse back to Tommy. Money was money, after all, no matter where it came from._

It was a small room, worth the two or three coin they paid for it, no matter how bare the room looked. It had whitewash walls and a plush, red carpet on the floor. A small fireplace and a chair on one end of the room, and a bed and window overlooking the sea on the other.

There was a single painting hanging on one wall, the wall across from the door. It showed a storm, similar to the one Tubbo felt coming, but instead of a storm on land, it was a storm at _sea._ The ship, with a name Tubbo couldn’t read in the dying firelight, was battered and tossed by strong waves and fierce winds, almost being torn apart.

A flag flew on its main mast, a flag that sent a chill down Tubbo’s spine. 

Red and gold and blue and black.

That’s what ship it was, then. 

The _Depth Strider._

A famous ship, around this city at least. 

Known for running a smuggling ring that, even if it was famous, no authority seemed to be aware of its presence. 

Known for its captain, and even more so its first mate.

A half-Siren captain, and a vicious first mate, that some even tied to the infamous ‘Blood God.’

But those were just fairy stories right? Sirens and siren hybrids were killed off years ago, and no one had heard of a demigod since the dark ages.

It had to be fake, right?

_Right_?

A chill settled in Tubbo’s bones the longer he thought about the ship, and its captain and first mate. The storm began to pick up, and the rain finally started. It started as a gentle drizzle, but soon quickened into an uproarious downpour.

The sound soothed Tubbo, as did the rainwater that splashed every-so-often through the open window. As the rain began to angle sideways instead of down, Tubbo decided to close the window rather than get the room soaked with rainwater. 

As the heavy metal latch clicked into place, the air in the room stilled, not stirred by the sea wind anymore.

Tubbo held his breath. 

~~He didn’t know why~~ ~~.~~

Nothing happened.

He released his breath.

He fell backwards onto the bed once more, landing strangely on his back. He winced, muscles pulling in strange directions, then adjusted his position again.

As he gazed up at the blank, white ceiling, he felt exhaustion wearing on his body. The sound of the storm outside the window had finally calmed his nerves enough that he could sleep.

And so sleep he did.

Tubbo awoke the next morning to gentle sunlight streaming in the windows, casting strangely shaped shadows all around the room. Tommy was already awake, busying himself with something by the fireplace, though Tubbo had no idea what it could be. It wasn’t like they had many belongings to busy themselves with.

As Tubbo sat up, Tommy turned around and grinned at Tubbo. Tubbo smiled back.

“Mornin, big man,” Tubbo yawned, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Mornin, bitch boy,” Tommy responded, turning back to the fireplace once more.

“Whatcha got there?” Tubbo asked, trying to crane his neck to see what Tommy was doing.

Tommy turned around once more and handed a small loaf of bread and an apple to Tubbo.

“Breakfast, and I fixed the old coat up a bit.”

As Tubbo took the food gratefully from Tommy, the other boy held up a long coat. One that the boys had held onto ever since they met, 8 years ago.

“How’d ya do that?”

“I woke up this morning and you were still asleep,” Tommy responded, “I went out and bought breakfast and some thread and a needle to patch up the coat.”

The old thing did look much nicer now that there weren’t any holes in it, but it still looked like it had suffered consistent use for 8 years. Which, in all honesty, it had.

“You can _sew?”_

“I’ll have you know that sewing is a very manly art,” Tommy huffed, shooting a glare to Tubbo, “and yes. My mother taught me just before-“

Tommy cut himself off. Tubbo knew that Tommy’s parents were a painful subject. Tommy avoided bringing them up whenever possible.

Tommy loved his parents, and so when they were lost at sea, it devastated him. He would wake up in the middle of the night, crying for his parents to come back to him, and Tubbo would have to help him back to sleep.

Tubbo’s parents were a different story. He never really knew who they were; he was dropped off at an orphanage when he was just a baby. 

An orphanage which he was subsequently kicked out of for having _wings._ He didn’t even want the wings; it wasn’t like he was somewhere he could fly without being shot down immediately.

Even if avian hybrids weren’t directly hunted down, for fear or for sport, no self-respecting person with wings would have them out on display in this city. It wasn’t the worst city for a hybrid to live in; Tubbo had heard tales about cities farther down the coast that captured any hybrids intentionally, running tests on them to see if they could replicate whatever made them a hybrid. Tubbo shuddered at the thought.

“You good?” Tommy asked, from his place by the fire. He had taken the old coat in his hands agan, and Tubbo could see that he was repairing some of the seams.

“Yeah, ‘m fine,” Tubbo murmured, staring out the window again. 

The sea was a deep green, a color Tubbo loved. A gentle breeze caused the flags of the ships in the harbor to sway in the wind, almost like a rainbow dancing on the wind.

Red, gold, blue. Green, white, black.

Tommy threw the slightly less ratty coat at Tubbo, and it landed on his face. Tubbo sputtered and pulled the coat down, glaring at Tommy. Tommy just chuckled and grabbed the coin purse off the mantelpiece, counting how much they had left.

Tubbo clambered out of the bed and stood behind the chair, stretching out his wings. They were sore from being tucked against Tubbo’s back all the time, but there wasn’t exactly a place they could stretch out everyday. He knew he should use them more, but he would rather never be able to fly than to get arrested and taken far away.

They weren’t huge wings, Tubbo had certainly heard of people having bigger, but they were big enough that the tips of his wings brushed the walls of the room. They were a soft brown near the tops and where they met his back, but faded into a darker brown down near the larger feathers, ones Tubbo assumed to be flight feathers.

“Okay, bird boy,” Tommy said, turning around, “Put your coat back on, you never know who might be looking through the window.”

Tubbo rolled his eyes, but he did as Tommy suggested. He was probably right, anyway. His wings folded into small hollows on his middle back, and the coat slid gently over his shoulders. 

Tommy’s eyes met Tubbo’s.

Bright, sky blue met stormy gray-blue.

Tubbo could tell Tommy was worried about something. The way his hands fidgeted back and forth, the way his breathing seemed to be intentional.

“You okay, big man?” Tubbo asked, stepping forward.

“You didn- did you- have you seen my coins?”

Tubbo tilted his head to one side. Tommy kept his coins on him at all times.

“Did they go missing?”

Tommy nodded, the stress evident on his face.

“I put them in the coin purse when we found it last night,” he said, sitting down on the bed, “I’m afraid I used them to pay for something.”

Tubbo sat down next to him and took his hand.

“Hey, Toms, it’s okay. You remember what stalls you bought from today?”

Tommy nodded, but he held his face in his hands.

“I just- what if- what happens if the vendors already used them as change or something?” Tommy asked, voice heavy, “What if I lose them, Tubbo?”

He grabbed onto Tubbo and started crying, hot tears streaming down his face. Tubbo held Tommy close to him, and Tommy’s hands clutched the jacket. They sat like that for the next couple minutes, holding on to each other like they were all that was left in the world.

“It’s all I have left of them, Tubbo,” Tommy cried, face pressed to Tubbo’s chest, “I can’t even remember what they look like. What if I forget them?”

“I don’t think you will forget them, Toms,” Tubbo whispered, his hand making calming circles on Tommy’s back, “Think, just minutes ago, you used something your mother taught you.”

Tommy looked up at Tubbo, and their eyes met again.

“What _do_ you remember about them?”

It was a risk to ask that. Tubbo knew it might send Tommy into another spiral, but maybe it would help. Maybe it would pull Tommy back to the surface.

Tommy sat up, letting go of _most_ of Tubbo. He still clutched the other boy’s hand like a lifeline.

“Uh- I remember my father’s eyes, bright blue, like the ocean on a sunny day,” Tommy sniffed, “And my mother’s singing voice. She sang like an angel. And her hair.”

Tommy smiled and leaned against Tubbo once more.

“Bright gold, like mine. It was so soft, and she let me and dad braid it sometimes. Dad would help me weave little pink and yellow flowers into it, and Mom would look like a nature goddess afterward.

“And this coat-“ Tommy trailed his free hand on Tubbo’s sleeve “-it was my father’s. It always smelled of salt, like the sea.”

Tommy took a deep, shaky breath, and looked up at Tubbo’s once more. His eyes were still sad, but he smiled. 

“Let’s find your coins, big man,” Tubbo said.

Tommy grinned and leaped to his feet, _most_ traces of the previous moment gone from his face. There was still a sad shine in his eyes, one that he couldn’t hide from Tubbo’s sharp gaze.

“Yeah!” Tommy announced, tying his bright green bandana around his neck once more, “We can start with the inn and work our way out.”

Tommy grabbed Tubbo’s hand, yanking him out of the room and rushing down the stairs. He pranced over to the desk, his sky blue eyes meeting the innkeeper’s dark ones.

“Something I can do for you, boys? You want the room for another night?”

“I think I may have accidentally paid you with some coins important to me. I’ll reimburse you, but I would like them back.”

The man nodded and pulled his own coin purse from underneath the counter.

“What do they look like?”

“Uh, they’re both gold coins,” Tommy said, craning his head over the counter to get a better look, “One has a green gem inlaid in it, and the other has a purple gem.”

The innkeeper rooted around in his purse for a few minutes before pulling some coins out. 

They were Tommy’s coins.

Small gold discs, with circles cut in the middle. Where the circles were cut, two different jewels sparkled: one bright lime-green, and the other awash of purple and white.

Tommy grinned, and pulled three generic gold coins from their own coin purse. He handed them to the man and took his own coins back, a triumphant light in his eyes. 

“Keep the other one,” Tommy said, shoving his coins into a pocket of Tubbo’s coat, “For your troubles.”

The man smiled, and the two boys walked toward the door. The innkeeper waved at them, thanking the boys for their business.

No one noticed a small, brown feather drifting from under Tubbo’s coat and landing on the ground. 

No one except a pair of sharp eyes in the corner, that is. 

The boys walked down the busy street, eyes alight with enjoyment and a hint of mischief. Tommy’s hands flicked back and forth around the busy streets, floating in and out of pockets and purses and stalls. Tubbo just laughed at Tommy’s antics, knowing that he couldn’t replicate Tommy’s skill in the slightest.

Tommy had a skill with his hands; they would always move however Tommy wanted, and he could steal anything with the slightest touch. 

Tubbo was… less so competent with his own hands. Anytime he tried to steal something, he got caught, and even his balance was off most times. Tommy often theorized that it was because of Tubbo’s hybrid traits; his body was designed to balance using his wings.

For whatever reason, Tubbo always left the thievery to Tommy. He saw it as a game, nicking something from someone who he thought wouldn’t miss it, and trying to steal the most dangerous things. 

Once, he even tried to steal a helmet right off the head of a guard standing at a ship. He almost got away with it, too; he was only stopped by the guard changing shifts and another guard coming. That was the first night Tommy managed to break out of the jail.

Tubbo shook the old thoughts from his head, instead focusing on the surroundings. The city was busy, more busy than it often was. Tubbo assumed it was merchant season, as the streets were crowded with colorful stalls and exotic foods and items.

The jostle of the busy street made Tubbo uneasy. It took only one unlucky person to trip and tug on his jacket to reveal his wings. To be fair, it had never happened before, but Tubbo had some unfortunate experiences with crowds and feathers and shouting.

He shook the unpleasant thoughts from his head and then he felt it.

A soft rustle in his pocket.

Somebody was pickpocketing him.

He looked down at his coat to see a boy his age, or maybe a year or two older reaching into his jacket pocket.

The pocket with Tommy’s coins.

“Hey!” Tubbo shouted, reaching for the other boy, but he was already gone, running off down the street. Tubbo stumbled forward, losing his balance, and caught himself on a nearby barrel.

“Tommy!” Tubbo shouted, catching his attention, “He has your coins!”

Tubbo pointed to the older boy, the one who has stolen from him moments before. He had deep blue eyes and dark hair, and he was grinning at Tubbo. Tommy took off after him, anger and annoyance evident on his face.

After catching his breath, Tubbo ran after them, weaving through the crowds. There were shouts of annoyance and quick apologies, but Tubbo’s eyes were fixed on the boy who had stolen from him. He seemed to be racing toward the ports, possibly hoping to hop on a ship or hide in recently unloaded cargo.

They chased him out of the busy part of the city and onto the wooden platforms that floated above the sea. The boy ran full tilt toward a large boat with many people milling about. 

Tubbo had almost caught up to Tommy when he ran straight into one of said people milling about the boat and fell over backward.

When he looked up to apologize, he saw dark shapes hovering behind the man, shapes _oh-too-familiar_ to Tubbo’s sharp eyes. The man looked down at Tubbo, a green and white bucket hat perched on his head, and smiled.

“Sorry about that, mate,” he said, helping Tubbo to his feet, “Hope I didn’t scare you too bad.”

Tubbo didn’t respond, instead staring open mouthed at the _wings_ that sprouted out of the man’s back.

_Wings._

On full display.

With _nothing_ to hide them.

They were large and dark, much bigger than Tubbo’s, and the feathers seemed almost green in the bright sun.

The man saw Tubbo staring at his wings and tipped his hat back to smile at Tubbo again.

“They’re pretty, aren’t they?” He said, moving his wings back and forth.

Tubbo nodded, dumbstruck at the sight of someone with his _wings_ out for everyone to see. Was he not afraid of getting caught?

The man eyed Tubbo up and down, from the worn-out shoes on his feet, to the old jacket on his shoulders, to Tubbo’s stormy blue eyes. He opened his mouth as if he was about to speak again, but Tommy pranced over, holding the older boy hostage. Tommy had grabbed him by the collar and was dragging him back to Tubbo.

“I caught him, but he won’t tell me where my coins are, Tubbo,” Tommy announced. He paused when he saw the other man’s wings, but instead of staring at them, he turned to Tubbo once more.

“You sure this is the right kid?”

“Help me, Phil,” The older boy said, dark blue eyes looking up at the winged man before them.

“What did you do this time, Jack?” The man, Phil, chuckled.

“Nothing, honest!”

“He stole from us,” Tubbo huffed, turning to face the thief.

“Did you steal from them, Jack?” Phil asked, a quiet mirth in his dark gray eyes.

“No, I didn’t!”

“Yes, he did.”

Tubbo and the other boy went back and forth like this for a good minute before Phil interrupted.

“Jack Manifold, did you steal from these boys?” He asked, most of the humor gone from his voice.

Jack stared at Phil. He was silent for a moment. 

“Yes,” he sighed.

“Give them back what you stole, and you’re on kitchen duty tonight.”

“Aw, but Philllllll-“

Phil’s dark wings flew out once more, blacking out the sun behind Phil’s head. His eyes seemed to glow with an electric light, and Tubbo was suddenly terrified of the man he was speaking with earlier. Somewhere in the distance, Tubbo thought he heard the rumble of thunder, though he assumed it was from last night’s storm. 

“Fine,” Jack huffed, reaching into his pocket. He handed the coins back to Tommy before trudging up into the nearby ship. Phil smiled at Tubbo, wings pressed against his back once more.

“Sorry about him,” He said, a smile in his voice, “We’ve tried to teach him not to steal, but, as you might be able to tell, it hasn’t worked.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you should get some different teaching methods,” Tommy said.

Phil chuckled.

“Yes, maybe we should,” he said, dark eyes sparkling, “Can I treat you boys to a snack or something? To apologize.”

“Absolutely!” Tommy announced, grabbing Tubbo and Phil and hauling them toward the busy city center again.

The trio ended up sitting in a shaded corner, eating the food Phil purchased for them. Tommy was tearing into a large slice of exotic cake, and Tubbo had a slightly smaller piece of pumpkin pie. Phil had just bought himself an apple, but instead of eating, he was curiously watching the boys.

“What did Jack steal from you, anyway?” He asked, after they had finished their food.

Tommy removed the coins from his pocket and held them in a sunbeam, making the gems sparkle in the light. Tubbo heard Phil’s breath catch. They were beautiful coins.

“They’re gorgeous,” Phil said, glancing between the coins, Tommy, and Tubbo. Tommy simply hummed in response, tucking the coins into his pocket once more.

“Where’d you get them?”

The air stilled, and Tubbo with it. 

“Uh, my parents gave them to me before they were lost at sea,” Tommy said, staring at the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Phil breathed, “Are you two brothers?”

Tubbo and Tommy’s eyes met. They were close enough to brothers.

Tubbo nodded, meeting Phil’s dark eyes with his own.

“Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

The question was unexpected at best. Tommy looked at Tubbo, then to Phil. He shrugged.

Neither of them had been really asked that before, and so they didn’t know how to respond to it. Technically speaking, they didn’t have somewhere to stay that night, but they had money and knowledge of the city. That was enough right?

“Do you want to come onto our ship?”

Tubbo looked cynically at Phil.

“Our?”

“The crew and I. I’m not captain, but I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

“What’s she called?”

“The ship? Those on board call her ‘L’manboat,’ and it’s been so long since I’ve heard the actual name, that I don’t even remember.”

“You’re not the Royal Navy or pirates are you?” Tommy asked, glancing over to Tubbo.

Phil shrugged.

“Depends on your definition of piracy. I like to consider us merchants, but the ordinary layman may not. But the Royal Navy? No, never.”

Tubbo considered the offer. It might be nice to get out of the city for a while, and he always had wanted to be part of a pirate crew. Tommy’s eyes were lit up with a similar joy, but there was a suspicious look on his face.

“It’s safe for hybrids, is it?”

Phil chuckled, but Tubbo stilled. 

_What was Tommy thinking?_

“Yes, of course,” Phil responded, eyes landing on Tubbo, even though it was Tommy who asked.

“It’s safe.”

“Then, sure, I don’t see why not,” Tommy said, standing up again, “Off we go, shall we?”

Tubbo and Phil stood also, and Tommy paraded the three of them down the busy street, the bright noon sun casting hard shadows on the ground. Tubbo saw the strange looks that people gave Phil, but they soon turned away as if they had seen nothing.

Maybe wings _weren’t_ so dangerous after all.

They reached the docks again in no time, and Tubbo could see Jack up on the deck of the ship Phil was leading them too. His eyes followed the central mast up, up, _up_ into the sky, and Tubbo could barely see the flag at the top of it, just a little speck of red and gold and blue. Phil ushered them up the gangplank and onto the ship.

The first thing Tubbo noticed was how the floor _moved_. It seemed to rock and sway with every step he took, and even when he didn’t move it was hard for him to keep his balance. He grabbed onto the nearby railing to steady himself.

Tommy didn’t seem to have the same problem. He moved across the deck like he was used to the floor rolling beneath his feet. Better balance, Tubbo supposed.

And then he looked at Phil.

The man had unfolded his wings once more, and seemed to be using them to keep balanced, stretching them out to either side. Tubbo almost considered doing the same.

_Almost_.

And then he met Tommy’s gaze. He could tell Tommy wanted him to take off his coat. The way Tommy’s eyes flicked between Phil, Tubbo, and the coat. The way there seemed to be a challenge in his face.

And Tubbo saw Phil’s eyes on him too, a curious look on his face. It wasn’t the same challenge as Tommy, but it was a curious invitation. To take off his coat. To show his wings.

And so Tubbo gently slid the coat off his shoulders and it fell to the floor.

It felt so _good_ to have his wings out again. Especially outside, where the gentle sea wind ruffled the feathers and set them dancing. The sea mist flew through his feathers and he felt wonderful.

He felt so free.

And then he remembered that he didn’t exactly know where he was, and he didn’t really know anyone here but Tommy.

He folded his wings against his back, but he left the jacket where it sat, discarded by the railing off the ship. He stepped out toward Tommy, his balance slightly improved with the freeing of his wings.

“Phil!”

A voice called from the deck above them, a gentle, musical voice. A young man, maybe twenty or so, came down a set of stairs behind Phil. He had a long blue coat, curly brown hair, and a red hat perched atop his head.

He looked kind.

“What did you drag aboard this time?” He asked, stopping between the boys and Phil.

“Just some kids I found,” Phil answered, “Jack robbed them so I thought it was the least I could do.”

The other man chuckled and turned to Tommy and Tubbo.

“Do you have names?”

Tommy and Tubbo glanced at each other.

“I’m Tommy, and this is Tubbo,” Tommy said, “Nice ship.”

The man smiled.

“Thank you. I’m the captain, but you can call me Wilbur.”

Tubbo met the man’s gaze.

Stormy blue-gray met bright, warm gold.

Something clicked in Tubbo’s mind.

Only sirens and siren hybrids had golden eyes. It’s part of what allowed people to easily hunt them down.

Tubbo glanced up the main mast again, searching for the flag.

Tubbo thanked his sharp eyes as it came into focus. 

Red and gold and blue and black.

Half-siren captain and that flag meant one thing.

The _Depth Strider._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again!  
> Sorry this chapter is so long, I just wanted to get a lot out there at first for exposition. There will be actual plot eventually (involving a race to a magical treasure) but the first few chapters will be to get acquainted with the lore of the AU and how the plot will eventually work.  
> There’s not going to be very much angst in this fic because I can  
> The angst that shows up in this chapter is about all that will show up ever, tho there will be a little more in later chapters.  
> If you have any questions about the lore or the plot, please leave a comment, I’d love to respond.  
> And thanks to my friend grace for coming up the the name of the ship, i was really lost on that one  
> Again, thanks to Vereen (https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vereen/pseuds/Vereen) for beta reading this chapter, and if you like this fic, Vereen and I wrote a sort-of-fantasy AU SBI fic so check that out too!  
> [also I don’t know how to embed links I’m sorry]  
> :D  
> Thanks for reading!  
> -Nerd


	2. weigh anchor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur is a siren (oh no).  
> Technoblade doesn’t like orphans.  
> Phil gives a tour.  
> Tommy tries his hand at redecorating.  
> Ranboo and Purpled cameos.  
> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So haha I’m sorry this chapter took so long :)  
> I spent like two days planning this fic and two days writing the chapter, everything else was just me procrastinating.  
> Updates should be a bit more frequent now that I have everything plotted out, but don’t expect more than twice a week. Even twice a week is a little much, cause these chapters are ending up longer than I expected.  
> Oh yeah that’s another thing: last chapter I said that the chapters would be shorter, but looking at some of the ones I have planned, some may be, but others will n o t.  
> Anyway...  
> Thanks to Vereen for beta-ing this chapter, and without further ado...

Tubbo took two steps away from the gold eyed man before him, breath hot and heavy in his lungs. The cool sea air that felt refreshing moments ago was now humid, heavy with the weight of Tubbo’s panic. This person, this _siren,_ before him was capable of untold magic, and who would know if he spun any already?

Tubbo grabbed Tommy’s arm, drawing the other boy’s attention to him. Their eyes met, blue gray to sky blue. Tubbo mouthed the word ‘eyes’ to Tommy, and Tommy’s gaze turned back to Wilbur.

The man had straightened fully now. His face had hardened like marble; he was almost like a statue guarding a gate: tall, imposing, terrifying. His gold eyes glinted in the sunlight, cold as metal and yet warm like honey. 

He must have realized that Tubbo recognized his eyes, the flag, the _ship._

And yet he didn’t speak. Not a word.

It perplexed Tubbo, for the spoken, or more accurately sung, word was a siren’s most powerful weapon.

And yet the siren didn’t speak. 

His golden eyes were captivating; Tubbo couldn’t look away. They stared at each other for… Tubbo didn’t know how long, and then the man turned away.

He turned to face Phil, and as soon as his eyes left Tubbo’s view, the spell was broken. Tubbo’s eyes darted everywhere but the man in front of them, searching for something.

He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for.

An escape?

A hiding place?

A weapon?

His train of thought was broken by the man before him speaking. Not singing.

“Phil, did you not tell them?” He asked. Tubbo thought he heard a hint of humor in the golden-eyed man’s voice, but then again, he was a siren, so it could have been anything. 

“Ah, no,” Phil responded, “I didn’t think they’d come on board if they knew.”

“Phillllllll,” Wilbur chided, “You know my rules on this. No picking up children off the street unless they agree fully to it. You remember how Jack reacted, don’t you?”

The boy poked his head over a nearby railing, glaring at Wilbur.

“Sirens are scary, can you blame me?” He shouted, dark blue eyes alight with humor.

“We’re not scary,” Wilbur huffed, “You know we haven’t done the whole ‘dragging people to their deaths’ for centuries, Jack.”

“Well, when everyone around you says that sirens are scary, and you don’t have any evidence otherwise, sirens are scary.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes and turned back to Tommy and Tubbo. Any coldness in his eyes from the moment before was gone, replaced with a bright warm cheerfulness.

“Okay, so yes, I am half-siren, and no, I’m not going to drag you under the sea to your death,” he announced, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Tubbo turned to Tommy, a questioning gaze on his face.

Tommy just shrugged.

Tubbo turned back to Wilbur. Even if the man said he wouldn’t kill them, the golden eyes still unsettled Tubbo.

“Uh, thanks,” Tubbo said, “We might hang out for a bit or leave at the next stop. We don’t have any plans.”

Wilbur nodded sagely.

“Yes, well, if you decide to stay, you’ll be welcomed to the crew.”

“Why are you being so nice to us?” Tommy asked, brazen as ever, “We literally just met you, and you’re offering permanent stay on your ship.”

Wilbur sighed and turned to Tommy.

“Well, for one, Phil brought you aboard and if I turned you away, he would probably leave with you.”

The winged man chuckled.

“And, well,” Wilbur continued, eyes losing some of their previous humor, “the world isn’t always nice to people like us.”

He met Tubbo’s gaze and smiled, a soft, sad, smile that made Tubbo wonder where this man had come from. 

“So! Most anyone is welcome here, as long as you have an eye for chaos and a hand to lend.”

Tommy’s eyes lit up.

“You had me at chaos.”

Wilbur grinned.

“You’d make a good pirate, I can tell. Something about the fact that you’ve already stolen a sword.”

Tommy, who was indeed holding a sword, chuckled. 

“Piracy doesn’t sound half bad. As long as there's blowing shit up involved.”

“So much blowing shit up.” 

“Hell yeah.”

Tubbo heard a pair of heavy footsteps behind him and turned to see a man coming up the gangplank.

A man with long, braided, pink hair and a golden crown perched on his head. A man with a long red cape around his broad shoulders and dark red eyes staring at Tubbo.

Tubbo took a step backward.

“Wilbur, can I speak to you for a moment?” He asked once he stood firmly on the deck of the ship. His voice was calm and monotone; it did not waver or fall.

Wilbur turned to the strange man and smiled.

“Yes, of course, Techno. Anything for my first mate.”

So this was Technoblade, infamous demigod first mate. No one really knew his godly parent; it was most often assumed to be the Blood God, for tales of his prowess in battle had spread far.

“You can’t just pick up strange children you find on the street,” he said, gesturing to Tommy and Tubbo, “Especially ones who would be more trouble than they are worth.”

He reached into a pocket and pulled out a strangely familiar feather. It was a dark brown, the same color as Tubbo’s wings. Tubbo paled.

“The one with wings left this in an inn. If I didn’t pick it up, there’s no telling who would have noticed it.”

“So they’re young and kinda clueless sometimes. Besides it was Phil who picked them up, not me.”

“Yeah, well you’re the one letting them stay, so it's just as much your fault.”

Wilbur’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Need I remind you, Techno, that I picked you and Phil up off the street. Everyone on this ship, save Niki and Fundy, I picked up somewhere.”

The two men continued arguing, but Tubbo’s attention was drawn by Phil walking over to them.

“You boys want a tour?”

They both nodded. Phil smiled and led them to a door next to the stairs Wilbur came down when they first met him. He opened the door and ushered the boys inside.

“Ey, Phil?” Tommy asked, tapping the older man on the shoulder, “Can I keep this?”

He pointed to the sword he still had clutched in his hand. Phil glanced down at it and narrowed his eyes.

“It looks like Techno’s, so…” he said, “Yes.”

“Hell yeah!” Tommy shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. His hand hit the left wall and he yelped.

“Watch out for the walls,” Phil laughed. He stopped at a door on the right hand side of the narrow hall. He opened the door and stepped inside, beckoning for the boys to follow him. They did, Tommy buckling the sword to his belt as he went.

The room was surprisingly large, with two windows on the right hand side. In the middle of the room was a large table, scattered with maps of places Tubbo didn’t recognize and instruments Tubbo had no clue how to use. A hammock hung to the opposite wall, nailed to the ceiling.

Despite being a large room, Tubbo couldn’t help but feel crowded. There were maps and papers everywhere, accentuated by the occasional sword or axe gleaming in the low candle light. 

“This is Techno’s cabin,” Phil said, picking his way through the mess toward the table, “Sorry for the mess, he’s a bit of a hoarder.”

“I can tell,” Tubbo laughed, “What _are_ all of these?”

He picked up one map and opened it in front of his face. It showed a strange looking continent, with a messily scrawled ‘Antarctic Base’ scribbled on it.

“Techno likes to keep maps of every place he’s been,” Phil responded, finally reaching the table, “Says it helps him remember.”

Tommy was holding a very large, very _dangerous_ looking axe on his shoulder.

“You sure that’s a good idea, big man?” Tubbo asked, raising an eyebrow at Tommy.

“I only have good ideas.”

Tubbo came to stand beside Phil, while Tommy swung the axe around the room. Phil was mapping something out with a little two-pronged instrument.

“We’re here,” Phil said, pointing to a small gray dot on the paper. The coast that Tubbo had never seen spread out before. It surprised Tubbo, how just a single line of ink could show an entire coastline. 

He was broken out of his reflection by a heavy _THUNK_ behind him. He turned, every nerve standing on end.

Tommy had somehow managed to get the axe stuck in the ceiling. It’s blade was a good three inches into the wood, and despite pulling on it with all his strength, Tommy couldn’t get it free. He met Tubbo’s gaze and smiled sheepishly.

“I don’t think he’ll notice, do you?” Tommy said, stepping back, “Looks just the same… actually _better_ than when we came in. I’m the best at redecorating.”

And with that… _debatable_ statement, he turned on his heel and left the room. Tubbo and Phil followed him, and Phil looked like he was trying his hardest to not burst out laughing. Instead, he led them to the next room.

“This is Wilbur’s cabin,” he said, standing in the doorway, “We’re not going inside, in case Tommy decides to get something else stuck in the ceiling. But you can look.”

The room was about the same size as Techno’s, but, being cleaner, it seemed much bigger. There was a writing desk to one side and a small bed to the other, and the ceiling was scattered with lanterns of all sizes and shapes. They were like stars, glinting golden in the shadows.

Something else stuck out to Tubbo. A small chest, sitting on the desk. It seemed to be overflowing with papers of all sizes: little scribbled notes and long, winding soliloquies. 

He tried to read one, but from this distance he could only catch a few scrawled words, words of no importance to Tubbo. 

They moved on to the next room, which Phil said was his own. He, again, didn’t let them inside. The walls of the room were covered in paintings: of islands, of seas, of castles, of snow covered plains that Tubbo didn’t recognize. Even the _ceiling_ was painted; a very intricate star map, with all the constellations marked out. The stars on the ceiling seemed to glow.

“It’s beautiful,” Tubbo whispered after a good two minutes of awed silence.

“It is, innit?” Phil said, a wistful smile on his face, “We have a few artists in the crew. I let some of them paint my walls with all the places we’ve been. Like Techno’s maps, but…”

“Captivating,” Tubbo finished. 

Phil simply hummed, gaze caught on the star map on the ceiling.

Tubbo’s gaze traveled around the rest of the paintings, finally landing on one of a mountaintop castle, lights glowing in the windows.

And Tommy?

Tommy was looking out a left-hand window, watching the sea dance far below them.

The three of them stayed like that for one, two, three peaceful minutes before Phil decided to move on with the tour. 

“Come along boys,” he said, pulling Tubbo and Tommy farther into the belly of the ship, “We might not want to be up there when Techno discovers his, ahm, redecorated room.”

The three of them walked down a narrow staircase into what seemed to be a main hub of sorts. There were many people bustling around, carrying boxes and bags of almost everything Tubbo could imagine.

“This is the most used level, besides up top,” Phil said, “under this, there’s the crew cabins, and then everything else is storage.”

“Phil?”

Tubbo turned around to see Wilbur standing at the top of the staircase.

“Can you get someone else to give the rest of the tour? I need someone else on my side to deal with Techno.”

Phil nodded. 

“Uh, yeah, gimme a sec.”

Phil glanced around the busy deck, then called out for one of the sailors he seemed to recognize.

“Ranboo!”

A tall, awkward-looking boy, with strangely colored skin and dark blue eyes walked over. He looked quizzically at Tubbo and Tommy, and smiled at Phil.

“Yes, sir?”

“I need to help the captain,” Phil said, “So give these boys a tour, won’t you? They might be staying.”

“Yes, sir,” the boy, Ranboo, responded, turning to Tommy and Tubbo. Phil patted all three of the boys on the back, then headed up the stairs after Wilbur.

“Uh, do you have names?” Ranboo asked, shuffling toward them a bit.

“Tommy.”

“Tubbo.”

“Cool. I’m Ranboo, though you might have picked that up from Phil.”

“What’s up with your face?” Tommy asked, with as little tact as one could have.

“Oh, uh,” Ranboo said, reaching up to touch his face. His skin was very pale, almost white, but there were splashes of black on the right side of his face. Tubbo noticed that much of the skin on his right hand was black, too.

“I’m a merperson hybrid,” he said, shifting his posture once more, “that’s where the strange coloring comes from.”

“Oh,” Tommy responded, “Cool.”

“Yeah, yeah it is.”

Ranboo led them farther into the deck. The room seemed to spread from one end of the ship to the other, and it was crowded with boxes and supplies and as many people as the eye could see.

“The next deck down is the crew quarters, and there are two below it for cargo,” Ranboo explained, taking them down another narrow staircase, “This deck is pretty self explanatory: kitchen, common area, extra storage, etcetera.” 

Tubbo’s sharp eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light of the next deck, but Tommy didn’t seem to be so lucky. His balance was better than Tubbo’s, sure, but if he couldn’t see, he couldn’t adjust as quickly. He stumbled on the last stair, and Tubbo had to catch him, wings puffing out in surprise.

It was the first time Ranboo seemed to notice the two brown wings sprouting from Tubbo’s back. He tilted his head to one side, blue eyes scanning the feathers.

“You’re avian,” he stated, with no confusion or annoyance in his voice.

“Yeah, what of it?” Tubbo snapped.

“Oh, uh,” Ranboo stammered, “I don’t mean any offense, I just- I’ve only met two of you before. Phil and then one other, and he doesn’t, well, he doesn’t have wings so…”

Tubbo shrugged.

“You’ve met more than I have,” he said, “Before Phil, I was the only one I knew. Who’s the other?”

“Oh, uh, his name’s Purpled. I’ll introduce you, but I don’t know if-“

“What’s that about me?”

A boy, who seemed to be around Tommy and Tubbo’s ages, stuck his head around the corner. He had bright silver eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, and he was wearing a purple jacket.

“Hi, Purpled,” Ranboo said, smiling at the boy, “This is Tommy and Tubbo. Tubbo’s an avian hybrid, too.”

Tubbo waved awkwardly at the boy, who fixed his silver eyes on Tubbo. Their gazes met, and Tubbo could see avian traits in the boy’s sharp eyes and posture. Purpled’s eyes darted to Tommy, who had picked himself up out of Tubbo’s arms.

“Am I the only human around here?” He asked, walking down the narrow hall, away from the group. 

“Wouldn’t be too sure about that, Toms,” Tubbo chuckled, “You could be a hybrid, too. You don’t know.”

Tommy turned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I knew my parents,” Tommy huffed, “And they were human.”

“Okay,” Tubbo said, “You’re just too good at chaos to not be descended from a chaos god or something.”

“That’s all natural,” Tommy said, flipping his hair and putting one hand on his hip, “I’m just the greatest at everything.”

Ranboo chuckled, and, while he didn’t smile, Tubbo saw some humor in Purpled’s eyes. 

“The rooms are split with four in each,” Ranboo said, after a pause, “You’ll probably be lumped in with Purpled and me, since we’re the only teenagers on board right now.”

The four of them walked down the hall to the very end room. It was large, although slightly smaller than the cabins they saw earlier. There were four cots lined on the walls, and only two of them looked slept in. Tommy immediately went for the one on the far wall, while Tubbo was left with the one to the left of it.

“This room is very boring,” Tommy announced, looking around, “You need some redecorating. Luckily, I’m the man for the job.”

“I don’t know if an axe in the ceiling is what this room needs, big man,” Tubbo chuckled.

“A-axe in the ceiling?” Ranboo asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Tubbo nodded.

“Tommy got Technoblade’s axe stuck in his ceiling,” he said.

“WhAT?”

Ranboo looked terrified, but Purpled looked like he was on the brink of laughter.

“It was fully intentional, mind you,” Tommy snapped, eyes alight, “I was redecorating.”

“Mhm, and that’s why you tried to pull it free immediately,” Tubbo said, meeting Tommy’s challenge.

“Well, yes. At first I thought it would look better in the corner, and so I tried to remove it. Looking back now, it did look better in the middle of the room.”

Ranboo just shook his head, while Purpled chuckled slightly.

“I like you,” he said, “You’ve got guts.”

“HELL YEAH I DO!” Tommy shouted, “I’VE GOT THE MOST GUTS OF ANYONE HERE!”

“Can’t argue with that, big man,” Tubbo laughed.

And suddenly Tubbo realized something. He felt comfortable here. It was a new feeling, one he hadn’t felt since… well, to be honest, he couldn’t recall.

And yet here he was, all caution cast to the wind, laughing at Tommy’s chaos with two other boys. Two other _hybrid_ boys at that.

And many of the crew were hybrids.

Phil, Wilbur, Tehcno, Ranboo, Purpled, and possibly others that Tubbo didn’t know yet. He wondered how Tommy felt about that.

“Hey, Tubbo?” Tommy asked, turning to him.

“Yeah?”

“Is the coat still up top?”

_Shit._ He forgot about the coat.

“As far as I’m aware, yes.”

“Do you think it’s still there?”

“We’re on a pirate ship, aren’t we?”

“Good point.”

Tommy sprinted out of the room, with Tubbo close on his heels. Ranboo and Purpled followed them, albeit with less urgency. The four ran up the stairs, across the second deck, and up the other stairs.

They ran down the hall with the upper cabins, and an axe handle was still barely visible through Techno’s door. They emerged on the top deck, the bright sunlight harsh in Tubbo’s eyes. 

Luckily, the jacket was laying untouched where Tubbo dropped it. Tommy picked it up and rifled around in the pockets before pulling out his coins.

They sparkled in the sunlight, and the gold reminded Tubbo of a familiar pair of eyes. He turned to find the familiar pair of eyes smiling at him.

“Techno agreed to let you stay, at least until the next port,” Wilbur said, “He can’t say no to Phil.”

“Great!” Tommy shouted, “I’ve already started redecorating.”

As if on cue, an angry shout came from the direction of Techno’s room. Tommy huffed.

“I guess he didn’t like my redecorating,” he said, “Well, different tastes I suppose.”

Wilbur laughed.

“Make yourself at home, boys. Welcome aboard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmmm pirates  
> So... first lore introductions in this chapter :) not super heavy on lore, but it mentions some, so if you have questions, please shoot me a comment  
> Ranboo enthusiasts, I’m sorry I changed the eye color of your son I promise I have a reason behind it  
> If you like pirate fics, which, if you’re reading this you probably do, Vereen (one of my closest friends and the beta for this chapter) is writing one too! Its very good. You can probably find them through links on my profile (we wrote a fic together and its very good and you should read that too)  
> Okay soooo I think that’s all I’ve got, expect the next update in 3-5 days  
> Please send comments I love responding to them  
> Thanks for reading  
> Okay byeeeeee  
> -N


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